Siheyuan: I just came across and wanted to chase me away

Chapter 926 Monkey is angry

The monkey was so angry that his face turned blue, his fists clenched and cracked, and he spun around in circles. He had always been the one sneaking around and taking advantage of others. When was it his turn to be robbed? The few coins in his pocket weren't much, but it was obvious that someone was taking advantage of him. He couldn't swallow this anger! He secretly swore, his cheeks puffed up: "If I catch that thief, I will tear his arm off and let him know how powerful I am!"

What he didn't know was that, to evade detection, he'd plunged into the river last night, drenched in the biting cold. Not only were his clothes drenched to the point of wrung-out water, but even the long-accumulated odors of sweat, cigarettes, and, unnoticed, cheap alcohol—all washed away by the river. Because of this, Heizi, who had followed him, sniffed the riverbank for a long time, rubbing his nose against the wet mud. He only caught a whiff of muddy water vapor mixed with the scent of waterweed; there was no trace of him at all. Heizi, in a panic, spun in circles twice, his tail drooping, and finally, with a sullen look, he could only stalk back, tail between his legs.

Gu Nan had just left the workshop when he saw Director Yang, hands behind his back, hurrying towards the office building. His brows were furrowed, and his expression was grim, as if he was carrying a lot of worries. He hurried over and asked, "Director Yang, where are you going in such a hurry? Judging from your expression, has something happened at the factory?"

Director Yang paused, sighed, and nodded, his tone somewhat vague. "That's right. I just received a notice that the higher-ups are going to hold an impromptu meeting to investigate something. I don't know what they're investigating, but they just told me to hurry over and wait."

Gu Nan's heart stirred, and his brows raised slightly. The factory had been peaceful recently, and suddenly they were investigating? He vaguely guessed that it might be related to those who had been watching him recently, so he didn't ask any more questions and nodded. "Then please go quickly, don't waste time. I don't have anything to do here, so I'll go back to the team first."

Director Yang responded and started to leave, but then seemed to remember something and turned to warn, "By the way, Gu Nan, things might not be going smoothly at the factory lately. You'd better keep a low profile and avoid being too prominent. After all... these things have suddenly popped up, and no one knows what will be involved. It's always better to be safe."

Gu Nan understood what he meant. He was afraid of getting involved in some trouble, so he nodded and said, "Director Yang, I understand. Don't worry, I know what's going on."

Director Yang said nothing more, turned around and walked quickly towards the office building - he knew in his heart that knowing too much about some things might not be a good thing, and he should just follow the orders from his superiors, and thinking too much would only cause trouble.

Gu Nan stood there, watching Director Yang's hurried back, his heart heavy, like a weight on his shoulders. He was most worried about Ran Qiuye and the child. The people watching him were acting more and more unsystematic. A while ago, they were just secretly monitoring him, but these past two days, they looked like reckless desperadoes. What if they couldn't find him and set their sights on his family? What if that happened? The more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. His fingers unconsciously stroked the corner of his clothes, hoping to get off work early so he could fly back home to check on his family.

Gu Nan walked towards the courtyard in the twilight. The golden glow of the setting sun cast a warm edge on the gray walls and black tiles. But as soon as he turned into the alley, his brows furrowed sharply. Usually at this time of day, the only person at the alley entrance was Old Li, the sugar painting vendor, pushing his cart slowly to close his stall. But today, there were seven or eight beggars squatting there, all dressed in rags—some with holes in their cotton-padded jackets, revealing their dark arms; others had hair tangled like dry grass, clutching chipped bowls, the bottom of which was stained with leftovers of cold and roasted food.

The strange thing was the look in their eyes. Ordinary beggars would either hang their heads, hoping for alms, or stare intently at passersby, but this group was different. Their eyes would always glance quickly into the yard when no one was paying attention. There was a shrewdness in their scrutiny, even a sharp scrutiny, and they didn't look like desperate people at all.

Gu Nan's heart skipped a beat. Most of the people living in this courtyard were ordinary workers from textile and machinery factories. Who doesn't spend every penny carefully? Why did they attract so many beggars? It was obvious that something was wrong. He calmly clenched the short stick in his sleeve and walked in with his head lowered as usual without stopping. When passing by the group of beggars, he deliberately kicked a small stone, and the stone rolled to the feet of a beggar. The beggar subconsciously dodged to the side, and pulled up his trouser legs, revealing his clean ankles, which did not look like he had been squatting on the street all year round.

Entering the courtyard, he spotted Heizi crouched in the corner behind the screen wall, his ears pricked up like two small mountains, his dark eyes fixed on the doorway, his hair standing on end. He had picked up this little black dog from the factory boiler room six months ago. Despite its small size, it had an uncanny nose. Even through the wall, it could tell who was stewing meat or hiding a bone. He was more reliable than a human at guarding the house.

Gu Nan walked over, squatted down and touched Heizi's head. His fingertips could feel his tense muscles. "Heizi, did any stranger come here this afternoon?"

Heizi woofed in response, sweeping the ground with his tail quickly, kicking up a little dust, as if to say, "That's right." Gu Nan asked again, "How's it going? Did you catch up this time?"

Heizi's ears drooped, a low whimper escaped his throat, and he rubbed his head against Gu Nan's palm, a little aggrieved. Gu Nan understood in his heart - the dog had indeed followed a strange smell that morning, but when it reached the fork in the alley, the smell suddenly seemed to be covered by something and disappeared without a trace. Even if it sniffed along the wall and in the grass for a long time, it couldn't find even a trace of it.

"Okay, I get it." Gu Nan sighed and rubbed Heizi's ear. "It seems that we have met someone who knows what he is doing. Your future task is to stay at home and keep an eye on Ran Qiuye and the child. Don't go out and chase them again." He paused, his eyes darkening. "These people are quite capable. They are more difficult to deal with than I thought."

Just now he'd wondered if he'd revealed something when he'd gone to the dock a few days earlier, allowing the other party to follow him. Now it seemed they'd been on guard, even preparing counter-tracking methods. Clearly, they'd come prepared. Gu Nan patted Heizi on the back and instructed, "Remember, keep an eye on those beggars at the door. See if they change and when they leave. Call out if you hear any movement."

Heizi let out an "ow" as a response, but his tail was tucked tightly between his legs and his hind legs were digging at the ground - he thought to himself that he was not an ordinary dog. The last time he chased a chicken thief, he bit the thief's trouser leg and dragged him halfway down the street. This time he fell down and was very angry. He secretly decided that if he met that group of people again, he would pounce on them and tear off a piece of their cloth.

Seeing Heizi squatting by the door, his neck stiff and sulking, Gu Nan couldn't help but smile, straightening up and brushing off the dust on his body. There's no point in getting anxious. He turned and went back into the house. Washing rice and cooking was the priority. Ran Qiuye and the child were taking a nap in the back room, so they had to have a hot meal when they woke up.